Mike Tyson had millions of dollars during his boxing career. Although he didn’t start earning right off the bat, his first significant payday of Tyson came a year after he’d become a pro. Reportedly, Tyson bagged around $1.5 million for his fight against Trevor Berbick, but he further progressed to double-digit millions during his fights in the 1990s. However, his most significant earnings came through the memorable Lennox Lewis showdown, in which he’s suggested to have earned around $103 million.
Although Tyson had built up $400 million through his knockout prowess, he couldn’t sustain it. In the year 2005, Tyson lost everything that he owned because of his hedonist attitude and luxurious lifestyle. He had to declare bankruptcy, which taught him the lesson of minimalism in a hard way. This phase of his life taught him a valuable lesson of being at peace with oneself and the fans had mixed reactions to this.
Some fans ignore the advice given by wise Mike Tyson
Not long ago, a Facebook account by the name of The World of Boxing shared a quote from ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson himself. In the quote, he shared a valuable lesson that he learned in his days of financial loss. He’d said, “Real freedom is having nothing. I was freer when I didn’t have a cent.” He even posted a photo of ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ helping a homeless man. However, some fans had something else to add.
One of the fans stated that it will always be easy to spread such kind of wisdom when one has millions of dollars in the account. They wrote, “Easy to say when you have millions!”
Another fan made a joke that he’ll make Tyson free by taking all of his money for himself. They wrote, “Its all good bro, I will set you free, give me all your money.”
Meanwhile, a fan tried to explain the words of Tyson, how he means that one shouldn’t let their material own them, otherwise they’ll remain a slave of mere things. They wrote, “I think what Mike means is everything you own, owns you ! !”
One fan stated that Tyson is the real champion and they have nothing but respect for him. They wrote, “Absolute Champion in every way kind hearted Mike upmost respect to you God Bless Mike.”
A Facebook user commented that ‘Iron’ Mike will always remain the favorite boxing fighter of all time. They wrote, “He’s always been my favorite Champion.”
So there were a variety of reactions regarding the lesson learnt by Tyson. Despite losing everything, he’s found his way back to a wealthy lifestyle and is currently worth $3 million. But how did he do it?
Tyson’s road back to a wealthy life
After retirement, there was nothing left for ‘Kid Dynamite’ to hold onto, as he had lost everything he owned. According to the reports, Tyson was indebted to around $30 million. So, he started doing short cameos in a few movies and TV shows. His most famous cameos include his part in the Hangover series, Ip Man 3, and he even appeared for a snappy second in Scary Movie 5.
Besides this, he started his podcast on his YouTube channel, Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson, which popped off immediately and currently has 908k subscribers. In addition to this, Tyson also owns his own cannabis line, Tyson 2.0, which has supposedly generated around $50 million up until this year and is estimated to have reached $160 million under the guidance of Adam Wilks. He also has recently started selling his boxing equipment product, Tyson Pro gloves.
So, the boxing legend understands both sides of life, he’s seen the massive decline, as well as the great comeback, all in one life. So his wisdom may not come from education, but it’s through experiences.